Suspect in Mo. deputy shooting death apprehended

MINERAL POINT, Mo. (AP) — A man shot and killed a sheriff's deputy in Missouri early Saturday as emergency workers loaded an unconscious person into the back of an ambulance, authorities said.

Christopher Parsons, who became a deputy in October, was shot and killed while responding to a call around 2 a.m. about an unconscious person near Mineral Point, a community of roughly 350 residents about 80 miles southeast of St. Louis, said Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Juston Wheetley.

"As they were loading (the unconscious person) into the back of the ambulance they were ambushed," Wheetley said. He said investigators don't know of any motive.

Wheetley said the shooting suspect, Gary Sancegrow, 30, of Mineral Point, was taken into custody without incident at about 5:15 p.m. He said people who knew Sancegrow brought him to a checkpoint that law enforcement had set up in the Mineral Point area.

The suspect had run into a heavily wooded area after the shooting and was wearing camouflage clothing, Wheetley said.

Wheetley said Sancegrow was the only suspect being sought in the death.

Several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, had joined in the search, which had been going on all day Saturday. The sheriff's department also had put up a $2,500 reward for information leading to Sancegrow's arrest.

Wheetley said it was unclear if the reward prompted Sancegrow's arrest.

Update, last revised at 5:52 p.m. Saturday:

MINERAL POINT, Mo. (AP) — Federal officials have joined the search in eastern Missouri for a 30-year-old man suspected of shooting and killing a Washington County deputy.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Juston Wheetley says Deputy Christopher Parsons was shot and killed after responding to an emergency call early Saturday regarding an unconscious person near the town of Mineral Point, southwest of St. Louis.

Wheetley says the suspect, Gary Sancegrow of Mineral Point, fled on foot into a heavily wooded area. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Sancegrow has a history of mental health issues.

He says the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service are now assisting with the search, and that the Washington County Sheriff's Department is also offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to Sancegrow's arrest.

Wheetley says Parsons had been a deputy since October and there was no apparent motive for the shooting.

The sheriff's department has put up a $2,500 reward for information leading to Sancegrow's arrest. The phone number to provide information is: 573-438-1079.

Previous coverage, posted at 12:46 p.m. Saturday:

MINERAL POINT, Mo. (AP) — Dozens of law enforcement officers were searching a heavily wooded area in eastern Missouri on Saturday for a 30-year-old man suspected of shooting and killing a Washington County deputy.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Juston Wheetley said Washington County emergency crews responded to a 911 call about 2 a.m. Saturday regarding an unconscious person near Mineral Point, a town of about 350 residents that’s about 80 miles southeast of St. Louis.

As crews loaded the unconscious person into the ambulance, Deputy Christopher Parsons, 31, was shot and killed by someone outside a nearby mobile home, Wheetley said.

“As they were loading (the unconscious person) into the back of the ambulance they were ambushed,” Wheetley said.

He said Parsons had been a deputy since October and there was no apparent motive for the shooting.

Wheetley identified the suspect as Gary Sancegrow of Mineral Point. He said Sancegrow fled on foot into a heavily wooded area and was wearing camouflage clothing.

Sancegrow is still on the loose and is considered dangerous, he said. He said crews from several agencies were involved in the search.

“He used a rifle, but I don’t know if it was high-powered or a shotgun or what,” Wheetley said. “He is the only suspect we’re seeking at this time.”